AN: Okay, so I was thinking of making a few drawings for each chapter if I could on my Deviant Art account. Don't get your hopes up, though. I don't have photoshop on my netbook or a scanner, just paper and my camera phone.

I still like to think that my drawing's good.

"Doesn't this just bring back memories?" Kouya muttered to himself as he stood in place on top of one of the platforms directed by Goodwitch.

The teen still had hood up and his arms crossed. By his side Jaune was looking very nervous at the moment, eyes shifting from his friends, the professors, then to the edge of the cliff.

Headmaster Ozpin was standing in front of the students, his mug and cane still in hand. Beside him was his assistant, Glynda Goodwitch, carrying a Scroll in the form of a tablet, swiping at its surface every few while, and waiting for the headmaster to begin.

Kouya noticed that there were only a few students on the cliff, too few to be the whole freshmen that arrived the day before on the multiple airships. He wondered where the rest of them were.

On the hooded teen's left was Jaune, looking skittish since the moment he laid eyes on the cliffs, next to him was Ruby, looking awfully excited and nervous at the same time, next to her was Yang, standing with her impressive chest up high and looking quite confident.

The Schnee heiress was also a few platforms away. Let's not forget about her.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors," The student's attention went over to the Headmaster as he began his speech. "and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Eyes went from the Headmaster to the Forest below. It was probably named after the color of the trees. In Remnant the forests, jungles and wild life were almost always of different colors. There was this Emerald forest, where most of the leaves of the trees were green. There was also the Forever Fall that the students had been talking about when the early risers had taken to exploring like the Amakusa did earlier.

Even the forest that surrounded the village where Kouya had come from had a name: Ethereal Forest.

The trees of the forest were colored of blackest of black. Trunks, leaves, branches and roots were almost always hidden, camouflaged in the darkness. Not even the light of the sun could penetrate through it's leaves, and the forest seemed to devour any bright rays that it touches.

But only in the day.

At night the forest comes alive. Bright, white glowing moss covered every inch of every bark of tree in the forest. The moss had been the reason why it was called Ethereal. In the morning when the sun was out, they would absorb all light from the day, bathing the forest in darkness, a black void if seen from a bird's eye view. At night, they would glow and emit light, illuminating the whole forest, like heaven's light piercing the veils of darkness.

The bright trees with black leaves gave off a feeling of something divine. The night sky peppered with the twinkling stars, and the moon smiling down on the forest. Every twist and turn, the more you look the more the trees seem to glow, mostly trapped under the darkness of the leaves.

It had been the reason why so many people would get lost in the forest, it was only safe to travel through it at night. Many had ventured it during the day in some foolish show of courage, like the Hunter that recommended Kouya to join Beacon. The place was also a Grimm infested deathtrap when the sun was out. Beowolves scrounge the forest, using their pitch black fur to cover their approach. Their exoskeletons were the only visible signs that they were there, everything else was hidden. But even that was hard to spot in the light devouring darkness.

It was also the reason why the founders of Kouya's village created their village there in the first place. The natural defenses of the region was enough to discourage anyone with ill intent into coming after them. Like the Mar's departure from their original family, the Amakusa and Machina also faced a similar situation.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams'." the headmaster's assistant said, taking her eyes off the Scroll and looking at the students present.

That had caught Ruby's full attention. The girl had been hoping to be in a team with her sister, or at least with people that she knew like Jaune or Kouya... maybe even with the Schnee heiress. But only as a last resort with the Weiss girl. She really wanted to make up for what happened the day before, but she was just too overbearing.

That was, until, Glynda's next words threw a wrench in her plans.

"Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."

The red hooded girl gave a squeak at the announcement. "What?"

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin added, taking sip from his insufferable mug.

Ruby was groaning to herself, unaware that it was bothering those who were close enough to hear.

Well, Kouya was at least getting bothered, but some people seem to find amusement in the girl's whining. Like other teen in armor with a bird emblem on it that was just beside Yang.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ozpin delivered what seemed to be the final strike to Ruby's imaginary plans, like a glass mirror getting shattered with a solid object. Her cry of despair was mostly ignored by the students who were too busy preparing themselves for the inevitable.

Kouya really didn't see the distress in all of this. Getting a partner was actually helpful for this task and was announced as a necessity.

The Amakusa were always taught to pay attention to the rules, follow them word for word, and never let it be broken unless in dire need (find loopholes if necessary). Like the contracts made by his family, Kouya follows a stipulation: The ones of his family and the ones made by society.

Most of the time he followed the rules of society but switches to his family's rules when something important was on the line. These rules were plenty, but were mostly selfish and for personal gain.

Rules and conditions are there as a guide, to make less mistakes, to allow people to proceed without looking back. That doesn't mean that they can't be broken. There are those offenders who break them on a whim, while others are forced to do it.

And really, a partner would be beneficial in the long run. They would be your friend, rival, back up, confidant, sidekick, and many more if you allowed them to. It's no big deal. He's heard that even some partners become lovers.

Opposite sex or not.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."

The words were spoken with the utmost seriousness. But, probably, unlike the rest of the batch of fresh Hunter-hopefuls, Kouya was no stranger to these rules.

Mornings in the Ethereal forest were treacherous and dust consuming for their lights. If he failed to react to a moving shadow he'd be Grimm food. They had made clearing for crops and green houses, but it was still dangerous.

Unfortunately, every few years, there were arrogant Mars children who would venture the forest during the day. They were inexperienced, unskilled, and mostly of ages from Nine to Thirteen.

Kids are ignorant and stupid, but arrogance just makes them worse.

Four out of five, they would get saved by patrolling relatives, wounded and scarred, both emotionally and physically. Their mentality would then be forced to choose, not by anyone, but by themselves. They would either be traumatized to step out of the village anymore or their pride would swear revenge, get stronger, and never allow the same thing to happen again.

One out of Five, patrols would find the ravaged corpse of the children.

And unfortunately, Kouya had heard that there were three of them in his time living in the Village. There would have been a fourth, but fortunately she had someone with her at the time.

Looking down at the Emerald Forest from the cliff, Kouya at least knew that he wouldn't have any problems navigating through it. At least this time, he could rely on his sight as well rather than just his touch, smell and hearing.

Going through the Ethereal forest in the morning was like walking in a pitch black cave without a torch. Well, at least in caves the walls don't eat light and make everything look nothing more than a silhouette.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene." Ozpin said, taking out his own Scroll while pinning his cane between his arm and side. "You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

In response Jaune raised his hand. "Yeah, um, sir?"

"Good! Now, take your positions." The Headmaster ignored the blond and went to his Scroll. To his side, Glynda swiped her hand on her own device and activated the Launch Platforms. Most of the students unfolded their weapons, with Kouya doing the same for his shin guards. The rest opted to take a stance in preparation for the obvious launch from the tile that they stood on.

At the far end of the line opposite of Kouya's, the student that was standing on the platform was suddenly launched into the air towards the forest.

"Uh, sir? I've got, um... a question." Jaune continued, unaware of the next person that was launched again after the first. "So, this landing... strategy thing... Uh, wha-what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

The platforms were quickly and rapidly launching students one after another, but the Arc lad still wasn't paying attention to the students thrown to the air in favor of his questions to the professors.

"No. You will be falling." Ozpin said to the blond, completely ignoring the uncertainty in the student's voice.

Another student was launched.

"Oh, uh, I see..." The blond stuttered nervously. "So, did you, like, hand out parachutes for us?"

Ozpin leveled the student a look, noting that it was almost the turn of the blonde girl, Ruby Rose's sister. "No. You will be using your own 'landing strategy'."

Jaune nodded, pretending to understand the professor. "Uh-huh... Yeah."

Yang winked at her sister and puts on a pair of aviators before getting launched in the air with an excited cry. Ruby was next.

Unaware of his turn, Jaune-

"So, what exactly is a landing strategYYY!..."

-was launched unprepared, like an uncoordinated doll into the air.

"And Mr. Amakusa." Ozpin started, getting the teen to turn his head to him. "Enjoy your stay in Beacon."

Raising a brow under his hood, he could only give a quick nod before he, too, was launched into the forest.

Seeing the last of the students gone, Glynda made to address her superior. "Professor Ozpin, are you certain that he is from the same group?"

"Very." the Headmaster said, placing down his mug on one of the boulders scattered on the cliff. "Have you no faith in me, Ms. Goodwitch?"

His assistant chose to not reply but instead turn her focus on her Scroll, where the last students were still preparing for their landing... or Crash landing. "Let's just hope that no one dies this time."

Kouya had his arms and legs closed together as he soared into the air. His blood was already pumping his veins quickly from the surprise of the launch. His lips curled into a small, slightly excited, smile as he spread his arms and legs to catch some draft and slow his descent.

His eyes panned over to the other students: some in front of him and some behind him. Those that were behind him chose for a quick landing, angling themselves to fall faster to the ground. The rest were taking their time and to gain distance, probably a strategy of some to get the partners that they wanted.

Gun fire made him turn to Ruby's position, using her weapon's high recoil to slow her descent and unfolding the scythe to hook to a tree for a safe landing. The Schnee heiress wasn't far away, using... some sort of magic circles as platforms for her to stand on and jump down from. Yang was-

"Woo-hooo! Yeah!"

Well... she was also the using recoil of the guns, like Ruby, installed in her gauntlets to get a better distance and evading some tree branches as she went.

Kouya turned back to the ground to find that the trees were coming closer and faster. Curling himself into a ball, he flipped forward a few times to control the angle of his descent slightly, targeting one of the branches of the trees. He snapped upright and allowed his armored feet to make contact with the branch, bending his legs slightly to absorb the impact. The branch, however, was too weak and thin to support his weight and the momentum of his fall, thus breaking off from the trunk of the tree.

That was fine, though. Kouya wasn't really looking for a branch to land on, he was looking for one that was just enough to break his fall.

With the speed mostly absorbed by the branch, Kouya used his Semblance to stop himself completely in mid-air by kicking down. Allowing gravity to pull him again, he landed in a dull thud on the forest ground.

With his safety secured, it was time to get his objectives straight.

First should probably to look for north. Since there was only one goal, he'd probably just meet someone on the way to the temple.

He decided to look for a clearing for now, and choose where to go after he finds the sun's position and judge the length of his own shadow. The trees weren't making it easy to decide which way is north.

A growl to the side made him turn to see what it was. He snorted dismissively at what he saw.

Beowolves

From what his Aura enhanced hearing could tell there were ten... thirteen sets of paws thumping on the ground. Kouya resisted the urge to just jump to the trees and leave the small pack behind. These were no challenge.

Compared to the camouflaged ones that he was forced to fight around the village when he turned fifteen, these were easy to spot.

His Village had a few traditions; events that children of specific families were supposed to do when they were deemed ready or are in the right age.

Mars had the tradition of pitting their children against wolves, both figuratively and literally. When a child of Mars reaches the age of fifteen they are forced to hunt and bring back the corpse of an Alpha Beowolf... during the DAY. If they succeed then they would be able to advance their training regimen and train alongside the adults and professionals of the Village. If they failed, they would be thrown again and again into the forest until they bring back the corpse.

Mind you that was no easy feat with everything pitch black.

With this tradition practiced all the time, Beowolves were getting harder and harder to hunt in the Etheral Forest, especially during the day. Kouya had to hunt for two weeks just to find the blasted pack and bring down the Alpha, and that was miles away from the Village. The rest of the wolves were left alone until the next Mars would have to hunt the new Alpha.

Also, with Kouya being the son of a Mars AND Amakusa he had to practice BOTH of their traditions. His Amakusa task was to camp in the forest for a whole seven days and nights with only half a week's worth of rations available. The trick was to stay hidden from any and all wild life in the forest, exactly like the Amakusa's shy nature, but trying to sleep at night in the glowing forest was a bitch, and sleeping during the day was just not safe.

Of course, Kouya wasn't the only one doing two tasks for their families. There were also other teens doing the same tasks and traditions, some of different hybrid than Kouya's Mars and Amakusa.

Looking at the Grimm before him now and compared that to his experience in his Village's forest, Kouya couldn't help but scowl. This was a waste of time, but it's not like these creatures knew better.

With the whirling sound of the engines inside his armored leggings and the click that made them silent, he beckoned for the wolves to come at him.

Velvet Scarlatina, a brown, long haired, rabbit Faunus, was not having a good day. But that wasn't really anything new.

Being a Faunus in an open human society it was a given to never have a normal day.

Or a peaceful one.

She had been walking through the Emerald forest for a few minutes now, but she still hadn't met anyone yet. She had a few scratches on her body from her landing, but that was all. She avoided any and all signs of Grimm thanks to her powerful hearing, but that in turn made it her take longer towards north. She sincerely hoped that the first person that she finds was someone of her kind, or at least tolerant to Faunus.

Her history with humans wasn't really what you call as a Happy experience. She was already pretty shy and quiet since she was little, but the mental and emotional abuse that she's endured through out her life just made it worse. Her parents were loving and fiercely protective of her, but often times it brought trouble for them. She didn't want that, so she tried hard not to bring her problems to them, even if she got hurt for it.

School had been the place where her psyche really took a beating. It was only because of her fellow Faunus friends and the few kind Humans that helped her that she was able to carry on and even get recommended to Beacon. It was amazing to actually be picked. Unfortunately most of her friends couldn't make it, and her Faunus friends moved back to the Menagerie since they couldn't take the pressure or the treatment of their kind in some of the Academies' close by.

Not without support, at least.

She was happy that there were a lot of Faunus enrolled in Beacon, she even met a few herself. But what made her sad was that they isolated themselves away from the Humans, with only a few having friends from the other race.

Last night she had met an interesting person, someone from her kind, but with a different animal type. He was hugging his own tail when he was in the hall and was very silent when they met. It was pretty dark by then and he was hiding in the shadows cast by the halls. Her night vision had helped in seeing his face, but his costume really left her speechless.

It was... It was cute, she had to admit.

If his tail hadn't twitched in his embrace she would have thought that it was just someone with a weird pajama. He must have had his reasons as to why he wore a feetie pajama likened that of an animal. At the very least it went great with his tail. There were only a few fox Faunus in the ballroom that night, even less with the tail, but none of them was the one that she met in the hall.

Maybe she'll meet him again and maybe befriend them someday.

A loud crash a few ways away made her dive down one of the bushes for cover. Her rabbit ears easily picked up an on going battle somewhere close by, a convenient ability to have when planning to become a Huntress in the future. She wasn't sure, but maybe they needed help? This might even be a chance for her to get a partner.

Gathering her courage, she nodded to herself and cautiously made her way to where the battle was happening. But when she got there it was already close to ending. She chose to hide herself in one of the closest bushes just in case.

Beowolf bodies where scattered in a small clearing, with three more standing and awake Grimm surrounding a single figure. Blood was scattered everywhere, and some of the bodies on the ground had parts that were caved in. It was a scene that both terrified and awed the rabbit Faunus.

The hooded person in a black and steel motif that was surrounded by the wolves kicked one of the corpses near them to one of the standing creatures. With that properly distracted, they went and attacked another, with the last one coming at them from behind.

Velvet thought that the person going to attack the Beowolf that they were charging at with those armored leggings that they wore, but instead, used the Grimm as a springboard to back flip over the one charging from behind. With both Grimm now in front of them, the person obscured by the hood kicked the one closest to them and made the Grimm crash to the one behind it.

The two Beowolf were momentarily stunned and this time Velvet was sure that the person was going to attack. The creatures of darkness were both wide open.

She was proven wrong again when the person attacked the one that they had distracted earlier instead. That was when she actually saw what he had done.

Being surrounded from all sides, the person probably wasn't going to get out of that situation without getting hurt, even if they won. They used one of the corpses to single out the other Beowolf so that they could use themselves as a distraction, a bait, to herd the other two Grimm together. With those two now in the same spot and stunned for a second, they could now focus on the single wolf on the other end where the pair of Grimm were.

Velvet's rabbit ears twitched as she nodded to herself. That was probably what the person was doing. Now they had enough time to inflict a few damage on that single Grimm until the others regain their bearings to surround the person again. She might even have to step in in time just to keep the person from getting hurt.

Unfortunately for the rabbit Faunus, she had been so sure that the person that she was observing was merely going to inflict a few strong kicks on the singled out Beowolf that she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

The Beowolf had just shoved the corpse of its comrade off of it when it saw the armored heel of the person heading towards their head.

Velvet saw this kick as an attack to stun. She knew how legs work and how hard they hit, this one aimed to the head would probably leave the Grimm dazed to properly dodge the next hits after.

The foot connected.

Velvet nodded to herself.

The head of the Grimm flew off it's shoulders.

The Rabbit's eyes bugged out.

Next came the two Grimms that were left. They charged at the back of the person that killed their comrades, baring their claws and fangs at person's exposed back.

The Person didn't even look behind them when they quickly planted their raised leg down on the solid ground again and jumped, curl into a ball, flip in a curled moonsault, and with perfect placement of his feet, crushed the skulls of the charging Beowolves with a Aura powered heel drop.

Velvet's head immediately dove back down deeper into the bush that she was hiding in.

The-These were the kind of students that came to Beacon?! Impossible! Even her, a Faunus, with better physiology than humans, couldn't do that maneuver that that person just did. Well... not without proper training and enough courage to actually perform that kind of flip that low to the ground.

Was this person even human?!

No, wait! This person could be her partner! There wasn't anyone nearby from what her ears could tell, and legs strong as those could only be found from her kind. This might be her lucky day! Bu-But how should she approach them? Just walk out casually? But that make her look a bit snobbish and make the person dislike her! Ma-Maybe something else then? But she was already here! If she moved now, they might see her walking away and think that she didn't want to be partners!

Ohh, what to do...

"Hey."

"Eep!"

Jumping out of her bush with a surprised cringe, Velvet Scarlatina met the hooded figure of the person that fought- no, decimated- the Beowolf pack.

Both stood in silence, the Faunus feeling a sense of déjà vu as she stood there, stunned as she met his eyes. Yes, his, for this person had been a man. He stood in front of her, arms crossed as if expecting something. She was standing rigidly in place, the feeling that this situation had already happened was blaring at the back of her mind. Did she know this person?

Kouya had just taken care of the small pack of Beowolves when he turned to one of the bushes close by. He knew that there was someone there. Anyone with a good hearing could probably hear the rustling of the leaves in that particular spot when there was no wind blowing by. He knew that they were there just when he was about to finish off the remaining three Grimm.

Concerning the wolf pack, Kouya simply used the same tactics that he applied back in his Village's forest. With a strong and sensitive enough hearing thanks to his Aura, he was able to predict the locations of all Beowolves that surrounded him. It kept him from being ambushed, and he used it as an advantage while using his back as bait to make it look like he wasn't paying attention to that side.

Beowolves were opportunists, striking when they could, and staying their claws when they couldn't.

Now concerning this one hiding poorly in the shivering bush, and now out of that and into a ridiculously stunned posture, Kouya made sure to make eye contact with them, as per instructions earlier, to pretty much seal the deal.

"You are my partner, then?" he asked.

The girl, a Faunus Rabbit, the one that he met last night, took a long moment before she nodded her head a few times. He wondered if she was mute, given that she still hadn't a word yet other than that quick 'eep' from before. What did his mother teach him to break the ice between two people again?

No, wait, that one involved a fist fight. Kouya really didn't think that would help him here.

Well... his father did say that introductions were always first, and also showing your face as a sign of trust.

Nodding to himself he pulled back his hood to look at the girl fully and allowing her to see his face properly. He didn't miss the way her body suddenly twitch when his face was uncovered, but ignored that for now.

"Amakusa Kouya," he started, holding out his hand to the Faunus. "It looks like we're going to be partners for the rest of our stay here at Beacon."

He waited for a moment for her to take his hand, but after a long moment she didn't. It was awkward to say the least. She was looking at the top of his head and searching for something, even leaning to one side to look at something behind him. He really did not get this girl.

"Hello... miss?" Kouya began, waving his hand in front of her face.

"You're HUMAN!" the girl suddenly shrieked, stepping back and pointing one accusing finger at him with wide and shocked eyes. "Your tail was FAKE!" she added, as if an afterthought.

Kouya blinked once- twice before looking up into the sky. Was this really going to be his partner? Is this what it feels like to be discriminated? Was there a Dust Deity out there that he accidentally insulted for him to get this kind of treatment?

Turning around and pulling his hood up, he walked away from the Faunus girl. Well, there goes what little self-esteem he had for first impressions. Maybe he should just embrace the Amakusa way and don a mask like his other relatives. It would probably do the first impression for him.

Already a few distance away, he heard the girl call. "Wait!" She probably had enough time to realize just where they were.

Still, he kept his fast walk constant, never slowing down even as the girl ran after him. Why couldn't this have been easy like with Jaune on the airship?

Kouya stopped in his fast stride when he heard gunfire from somewhere in the forest. The Faunus girl taking the opportunity to catch up to him and standing beside him, her rabbit ears twitching. They both turned in the same general direction where the shot was fired.

"What do you think that was?" the girl asked.

Kouya turned back northwards and began walking again, this time at a much sedated pace. "A battle, most likely. It's better to get the mission done faster and get back to the school." he said dully.

"Oh... okay." the Faunus girl followed him sullenly. His dull tone sounded cold for the demi-human girl.

The silence stretched on as Kouya and his new partner continued their trek through the forest. The Amakusa easily navigated through the shrubs and bushes, being already used to uneven terrain from where he grew up. His Faunus partner simply followed his footsteps and copied what he did from behind him.

Every so often he would look at his partner, taking in her appearance now that they settled on a very lengthy silence.

She looked like one of those mages that he saw on video games, though her color seemed to focus more on red. Red cloak on her upper body for light protection, covering what she wore underneath; short red skirt for easy movement and stockings with comfortable and sturdy boots.

At least she was dressed for practicality and not for fashion.

"I still haven't gotten your name." Kouya began, breaking the silence while still keeping his eyes forward.

The Faunus girl was startled out of her thoughts about the hooded teen. She was keeping herself silent since from his tone earlier and his refusal to start conversation she thought that he was one of those Humans who were scornful of her kind. She didn't know that he preferred to be silent most of the time and just reacted or answered when needed. Jaune was an exception since he wanted to make first contact to the world outside his isolated Village.

"Um..." the Faunus girl didn't know how to make of his tone. He didn't sound demanding, or irritated, he just spoke out plainly. "It's Velvet... Scarlatina."

Kouya would have missed the girl's words if the forest hadn't been all that quiet. She sounded uncertain and her voice trailed of at the end. It seemed that communication was going to be a challenge between them if this soft tone kept up.

"Ms. Scarlatina..." Kouya tested her name off his tongue. "No. Velvet. If we're going to be partners from here on out it's better to drop the formality and move straight into first name basis."

The Faunus girl nodded meekly, but stayed silent.

Kouya sighed tiredly. It was like meeting one of his younger Amakusa cousins once again. They considered any and all that's not their parents as strangers, even other close relatives, but only until they got to know them. They preferred to be as quiet as the could and just disappear in the background, just like what Velvet here was doing at the moment. If he wanted her to reciprocate, he would have to be the one to start the conversations.

Damn humanity for making it harder to converse with the Faunus.

"If you didn't get it the first time, my name is Amakusa Kouya. Since we're partners now you can refer to me with my first name." Kouya's head turned to her, making his voice as kind as he could with his momentary professional mindset on the current mission.

"Um... Amar-Amakusa, then?" she spoke.

"No, it's Kouya. Amakusa is my family name." the girl started to panic, thinking that she might have insulted him. He calmed her down with a placating gesture, succeeding only slightly. "It's alright. My ancestors originated from the east, that's why my family name is pronounced first before my given name."

The girl nodded, calming down entirely, but was back to being silent. From there Kouya decided that, yes, he would have to approach this girl delicately.

Well, maybe it's easier since he could probably relate to some of her thoughts.

"Velvet," the Amakusa addressed her. "Since we're now going to be watching each other's back for the next four years, I have something to make clear to you. And no, it's probably not what you're dreading." he quickly added seeing as the rabbit girl tense. "Also, please answer at the very least when spoken to, it's only polite to do so."

The girl nodded- then paused. "Yes..." she answered quietly.

That was the one thing that Kouya was going to force on the girl. He was going to ask her to answer, even if it was of dismissal, a lie, or something else, at least he would know that she was listening and he wasn't just talking to air.

"Okay." Kouya nodded. "First of all I would like to make it clear to you that I do not in any shape or form hate, despise, or abhor the Faunus race. And No, I do not just simply tolerate them. I hold no ill thoughts, intents, or feelings to your kind."

He stopped in place just to turn to her fully, making sure that his message was getting delivered properly without misunderstandings. He saw that he had her full attention. Good.

"In truth I am very fond of your kind, I am impressed by your superior abilities and characteristics and would often times would wish to have your people's night vision." He looked her in the eye, making sure that she understood that he was being serious about the night vision thing. It would have been helpful back at home.

She turned away with a blush.

"I will have you know that I have friends from where I come from that are not human like myself, but I do not see them any lower than I do myself. They are dear to me and I would even go so far as to say that they are like a family to me in all but blood."

The girl was looking down on the ground, occasionally lifting her eyes to meet his serious ones under his hood. She really getting flustered by his attention as well as from the praises to her kind, and by extension to herself.

"What I want to make clear is that I see you as an equal, not a savage, not an animal, even if you are not fully of the human kind, I will not discriminate you, look down on you, or treat you any lower than myself. I just want to let you know that I have your back as your partner." The Amakusa son declared, holding out his hand to her like a deal waiting only for her consent. "Will I be able to trust that you'll have mine?"

The Faunus girl was flustered, badly, from the rather bold speech. She didn't know what to make of it and she certainly did not know how to react. This was the first time she heard anyone ever make that kind of declaration, and now it was made in front of her to her. Ohhh why wasn't there anyone around to break this oppressive (to her) kind of atmosphere.

It was like a confession! Well, it was a confession, but not of that kind. She really didn't know how to answer back with words, but she was infinitely grateful that he held out his hand to her.

Looking down, face burning in scarlet, she shyly, meekly reached up to take his hand, all the while trying to hide her burning face behind the fringe of her hair and flopped down rabbit ears.

"Yes." Velvet answered, her voice nothing but a squeak to Kouya's ears.

In return Kouya smiled, an earnest and honest smile. "A pleasure in doing business with you."

Good. With this it would be easier to work with her. With no more fear from her Human partner, Velvet would definitely start opening up to him. It would do wonders for their dynamics and compatibility. If he got to know her more, maybe they could even become the best team in Beacon. Now there was an amusing thought. It probably cam from his Mars side.

Unfortunately for Kouya, he made a mistake in the placement of his hand. Instead of it being a firm handshake like it should have, he had mistakenly angled his palm too far upward. So when Velvet took his hand, she had her palm over his in a manner that seemed like a male courting a female.

That was what Yang found when burst out of the bushes with her own partner following closely behind.

All movements froze there and then as Yang's eyes went over to the Amakusa and Scarlatina pair. Finally her lilac orbs zoomed in to their connected hands and she squealed.

"A confession in the forest!"

The Amakusa son blinked at the girl, unaffected by the outburst of misunderstanding. If he convinced himself that even if it was a confession, it was of a different kind. A confession is still a confession, no matter how you try to deny it. The intent was just different.

Really. Just don't get flustered and take it like a man, it keeps teasers at bay. Unfortunately his partner wasn't thinking the same.

You could practically see the steam rising from the girl.

Or was that her Aura?

"You move fast, foxy-kins." came the blonde bombshell's teasing, wiggling her eyebrow suggestively.

Kouya and Velvet had joined up with the Yang and her partner, Blake Belladonna. Since each already had acquired partners, Kouya decided that it would be safer to travel in a group, while Yang decided that it was a perfect opportunity to tease her new friend about his new, cute, female partner.

Truth be told, though, she was getting a bit irritated that he doesn't seem to get flustered no matter what she did or whatever she implied to his relationship with the girl.

What she didn't know was that there was a reason that Kouya mostly had his hood up, and making him react unnecessarily was one of them.

Like most of his older family who chose to wear masks to hide their features and create a business persona, Kouya does the same with his hood. Like a child with his safety blanket, a sort of self hypnosis that convinces his mind that nothing could ever penetrate his defenses. With his hood down, though, he'd feel more exposed, and his emotions would also feel like they were bared to the world.

Kouya chose to keep the use of his hood a secret for now. Judging from Yang's personality, she'd probably pull it down every chance she gets just to get a jab on him.

Yang and him had taken to walking beside each other, feeling that she should inflict her brand of teasing on him first as a good friend. She was probably going to target his partner next, but one look from Blake made her postpone that idea for later.

Speaking of which, Velvet had taken to walking beside the enigmatic girl. Blake was a quiet girl, a silent, slightly serious type of girl. She had an air of professionalism that was hard to find in youth her age.

It was odd how Velvet seemed to take a liking to her. Maybe his speech earlier made her stop judging Humans at first glance?

Nah.

He wasn't that optimistic. Still, it was odd.

"So tell me, how did you two meet?" Yang asked the still un-flustered male. She was going to make him blush like last night, damn it!

"By the bathrooms last night before bed." Kouya answered, undeterred by how the girl seemed to like to dig for information just to embarrass him and turn him into a blushing wreck.

"Oho! A late night rendezvous by the privacy of the comfort rooms." Yang's smile turned mischievous, her mind already coming up with many types of scenarios that followed the hypothetical tryst. "Was that why you went to the bathrooms late? Just to catch the tail of some poor innocent maiden like Velvet?" she nudged her thumb over to the Faunus girl who was blushing up a storm beside Blake, her enhanced hearing probably getting everything that was exchanged between the two.

"That was coincidence." the hooded male shrugged. "It's not like I knew that there would have been anyone else out there that late."

"So you admit that you sank your foxy paws on the poor little hare last night?" The blonde leered, her lips stretching as far as they could.

"If by 'Paws' you mean my pajama's, then no. My 'Paws' were made of cotton, they wouldn't sink to any surface unless you put claws on it." Kouya replied seriously, fighting back the smirk that he wanted to make at the girl. If you want to banter with a natural teaser, fight back with literal fact with a hint sarcasm, they never seemed to run out of innuendos for some reason. Just throw those innuendos back at them with their literal meaning, it should help.

"You know what I mean." the blond moved closer to nudge her elbow at his side.

"I don't know what you mean." They hurt. Her elbows were sharp and that nudge was not gentle. The hooded teen gave the blonde a mysterious smirk that could have meant anything.

In return the beautiful girl gave a sly look at him. "Aw, now you're teasing me!"

Behind the two bantering teens, Velvet was getting skittish at the topic of the talk. The mention of her name every so often really made her uncomfortable, even more when the blonde kept mentioning that she and her new partner had a relationship that was more than what the school had instructed.

She tried hard not to pay attention to the two humans in front of her and tried to divert her focus on the person beside her.

Blake had been keeping an eye out just in case that any Grimm came close to them without knowing. They should really be as focused as the girl right now, but the blonde was really talkative and just kept poking fun at Kouya ever since they decided to travel to the temple together.

She sighed dejectedly, her ears flopping down over her face as she did so. Now that the high of the confes- the declaration!- earlier had died down somewhat, she was still wasn't sure how to react to having a human partner.

Sure he may have said those strong words earlier, but the rather cold attitude when they first met- here in the forest, not in front of the bathrooms- kept coming back to her. Was she really going to be okay with him as a partner?

"You should relax."

Velvet's head popped up when she heard the girl walking beside speak.

Blake was still keeping her eye out in the forest around them, but she had sensed the Faunus beside her in distress and decided to break the silence between them.

"He doesn't seem like a bad person." she soothed the rabbit girl.

"Maybe." Velvet muttered, ducking her head back down. "I'm still not sure. I just met him and hardly know anything about him. I'm really really not sure."

Blake kept her silence for a moment. She couldn't blame the girl beside her. Amakusa Kouya was dressed in dark colors, like her, and his hooded head makes him a bit suspicious to any normal person. Even the way he walked would make people a bit suspicious if they looked closely.

Even when Yang had been talking to him, he hardly even turned to look at the girl's face and just kept walking on. The blonde didn't seem to mind as long as she got a response in return, and when she was beginning to think that she was getting ignored or dismissed, the hooded teen would turn to look at her and show an expression using only his visible lips and the girl would then continue on talking.

Another suspicious note.

The way he walked was quiet, a little too quiet even for her good hearing. Though it didn't look like it, he was tip-toeing instead of actually walking.

She had seen the footprints that he made. The front foot had a deeper indent on the ground than the heel, and the heel was barely even visible. Of course that in of itself wasn't really weird. The weird part was that the tip of his foot prints hadn't seemed to have dug any dirt at all.

When a person walks forward, the tip of their footwear would almost always dig up a bit of dirt when taking their next step. His hadn't. It was like when he walks forward he doesn't lift his heel first to do it, but rather take his whole foot up and dropping his toes first before putting the rest of his weight into his step.

He's had stealth training, that's for sure.

"You should give him a chance." Blake said to the rabbit girl. Maybe she and Kouya had something similar.

Velvet silently contemplated on the girl's words. She had no doubts that she could trust the dark and, admittedly, mysterious girl. After all, they were of the same race.

Blake was definitely a Faunus. It wasn't really noticeable at first, or at all from afar, but after getting closer to the girl, Velvet was sure that Blake was a Faunus.

It wasn't anything visible. It was a bit from the way that she moved. It was like she was always on the prowl. Her steps are as silent as a predator and her amber eyes was a rather big clue. Maybe it was a bit of instinct that told her that the girl was a Faunus? The random, small, twitches that the bow on top of her head makes sometimes was also suspicious.

Nevertheless, she was thankful to have at least one of her kind close enough in case something happened.

Back up front, Kouya and Yang parted the next set of bushes and came out to find a small hill looking over an old stone ruin.

"You think this is it?" Yang asked her male friend.

Kouya shrugged and hopped a bit in place just to make sure that his muscles were loose. "Only one way to find out."

Walking down from the hill, the two pairs went and examined the stone pedestals of the stone ruins. Kouya raised a curious brow under his hood, looking at the gold and ebony colored chess pieces sitting on top of each one of them.

"Chess pieces?" Blake inquired out loud what was in everyone's mind. Velvet was still beside her, looking at the black King piece that also had caught Blake's eyes.

Yang was looking around. Some of the pedestals were empty, she noticed. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here."

Blake looked at her partner, and also made the same conclusion when she observed all of the pedestals present. "Well, I guess we should pick one."

Close to Yang, Kouya was looking under the pedestal, searching for anything suspicious before looking at the girl. "So... we take one and leave?"

The blonde shrugged in reply. "I guess?"

Kouya stepped back from the stone pedestal that he was observing and looked at each one. "Well, we should all at least be careful. This seems a little too easy."

The Rabbit Faunus blinked, stopping herself when she was about to grab the black King in front of her. "Now that you mention it, is this the only thing that we have to do?"

The Amakusa looked at his partner, shrugging his shoulder slightly. "Maybe? But just in case, let's grab something from the white side." he pointed to the golden colored chess pieces. "Something that's not Grimm color related."

Slowly, Velvet stepped back cautiously from the black piece on the stone stand. That was a good point. Maybe it was trapped? Like the stronger the chess piece, the more dangerous the trap that may come?

Blake had also chosen to step back from the black pieces. Better safe than sorry, at least.

"Hmmm..." By the white pieces, Yang didn't seem deterred at the mention of traps, but she was going to trust her friend on this one. She looked behind her and saw the closest white piece and picked it up suddenly and without care. "How about a cute little pony?"

The three other people on the temple looked at the blonde incredulously. Weren't they just talking about traps a few seconds ago? Why would she just pick one up without even checking?

Well. Since nothing happened and Yang was still in one piece, it should be safe.

Turning around, Kouya swung his arm quickly and swiped the Bishop piece off the pedestal without disturbing the rock. He held his arm up for a moment and waited for something, anything to happen. When nothing did, he relaxed and walked away from the other pedestals.

Just then, a loud and shrill scream echoed across the forest and temple, setting the four teens on guard.

"Some girl is in trouble!" Yang said. "Did you guys hear that?"

This cause of alarm set them all on guard, but Kouya looked around and saw nothing so it wasn't from him picking the piece up that caused it. He shrugged and didn't care. If it wasn't there then what's the point of worrying. The mission was clear, he had a 'Relic', and all that's left is to get it to the cliff.

"Blake, did you hear that?" the blonde cried in alarm to her partner. "What should we do?" when she looked at Blake, she found that her partner and the rabbit girl were looking up at the sky.

She blink stupidly at their rather lack of response, then looked to Kouya, who was also looking up at the sky but with a rather amused smile on his face.

Yang really didn't get what they were looking at, but decide to see what was literally up. She turned her head to the sky and- she corrected herself.

It wasn't what was up that they were looking at the sky. Rather, it was what was going down.

"Heads uuuuuuuup!"

Falling from a very lethal height, her cute, lovely, and beloved little sister was flailing wildly as she descended upon them.

"Think she'll make it?"

Yang's suddenly blazing red eyes snapped over to the hooded male, who was still looking at her falling sister. Ruby better makes it, or else she was going to take it out of his hide just for making that comment.

AN: Yay.